Language Policies and the Center for Languages and Culture

As the International Cooperation Office is well aware, the language barrier poses an issue to all forms of international relations. Bearing that in mind, and with the intention of opening up our institution even further to the world, the Center for Languages and Culture (CELUFF) offers a number of language-learning programs to increase multilingual opportunities for incoming mobility students.

Portuguese for Foreigners

Foreign students have the opportunity to learn Portuguese in three different ways:

– An online Portuguese for Foreigners course to make students familiar with the local language beforehand. For further information, contact the Incoming Mobility Division at mobilidadeinsri@id.uff.br.

– Since students are required to have a basic knowledge of Portuguese in advance, a 20-hour crash course on the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture is offered two weeks before the beginning of term. It is a two-week course, with classes from Monday to Friday. This course provides a basic level of linguistic proficiency so that students can attend undergraduate courses.

– Portuguese as a Foreign Language is a 60-hour elective course to be taken during the regular semester at UFF, with classes twice a week. The tutor will assist international students individually according to a pre-determined schedule. This course deepens students’ knowledge of Portuguese.

All courses are free of charge for students from partner universities. In all of them there is a placement test on the first day of class, after which students are assigned to groups according to their proficiency level in Portuguese.

Foreign Languages Universalization Program (PULE)

PULE aims to teach foreign languages to UFF students who benefit from social assistance grants, adding to their academic and professional training and better equipping them to take part in the internationalization process. The program offers courses on six languages (German, Spanish, English, French, Italian and Russian) at six different levels.

Confucius Classroom

UFF is proud to have had a Confucius Classroom set up in partnership with the Hebei Normal University and the Confucius Institute (Hanban) of China. Students and the Niterói community at large now have the opportunity to learn Chinese and get to know their culture with native professors and teachers.

Language without Borders (IsF)

The program is an initiative of the Ministry of Education to improve students’ and staff members’ knowledge on foreign languages. IsF currently offers on-campus classes of English, French and Portuguese as Foreign Language as well as online English classes. It also offers TOELF ITP® evaluations on a regular basis.